Huskies hoops announces 2011-12 class, led by Wroten

The fax machine in Hec Edmundson Pavilion spit out the expected signed national letters of intent, and Washington added four players to its 2011-12 basketball class. Three of the signed documents were expected. The fourth was a bit of a surprise.

Garfield’s Tony Wroten Jr., Rainier Beach’s Hikeem Stewart and Andrew Andrews from Benson High School in Portland put out verbal commitments to Washington. Those were confirmed with their signed letters of intent on Wednesday.

The fourth, Jernard Jarreau out of New Orleans, is the cause of some consternation. Jarreau originally made a verbal commitment to Virginia Commonwealth University. He changed his mind and committed to the Huskies. The grumbling that came from the change was a result of Washington appearing to do the same thing to VCU that Kentucky did to Washington during the Terrence Jones saga, though the scenarios were different. It’s another he-said, she-said layer of the murky recruiting process.

Instead of rehashing that, let’s look at the players:

Tony Wroten
Position: Point guardHeight: 6-4Weight: 206Lowdown: The star of this class. The local is viewed as one of the top point guards in the country because of his good size, ball-handling, court vision and range. The left-hander is brash on the court and off. That, more than his skills, may be the biggest challenge with Wroten.Coach Romar’s take: “A guy that is just a phenomenal passer, an outstanding basketball player. Our guys have to be ready when he’s on the floor. He can deliver that basketball. Has great size. With the USA Basketball team this summer, his coaches raved about the way he could defend the ball. He has quick feet, long arms. He’s a very, very tough kid. When you think of Tony Wroten, he is flashy. He can do some things on the floor that will dazzle you. But he’s also a winner that’s willing to do the dirty work. I can’t say enough about how good a passer he is.”

Hikeem Stewart
Position: Point guard/Shooting guardHeight: 6-2Weight: 180Lowdown: An athletic combo guard from one of the area’s best programs. Is the brother of Seattle natives Rodrick and Lodrick Stewart whom Romar also recruited. That helped form a relationship between Hikeem and the coach.Coach Romar’s take: “A very versatile guard. A really good athlete. A guy who can play both positions in the backcourt. Has a winner’s mentality. Really good kid. Really good student. He’s someone I think is a good basketball player now, but his best days are ahead of him.”

Andrew Andrews
Position: Point guard/Shooting guardHeight: 6-2Weight: 180Lowdown: Andrews appears destined for a year in prep school prior to joining Washington for the 2012-13 season. If a scholarship is available next fall, he could take it and redshirt.Coach Romar’s take: “A point guard, pure point guard, that will remind a lot of people of Will Conroy. Leader, competitor. Has a serious passion for this game. He’s a guy that is a part of this class. If a scholarship is available, he’ll be here. He is not from Seattle but he really wanted to be a Husky. Because of his level of commitment, he’s willing to wait a year.”

Jernard Jarreau
Position: Forward/centerHeight: 6-10Weight: 190Lowdown: Long, athletic, long and athletic. Those are the repeated terms for the New Orleans native who was a late add to this class. Jarreau has intriguing skill set for his size, as well. Will desperately need to gain strength. Romar compared him to Lamar Odom.Coach Romar’s take: “Really unique. He’s a young man that 6-3 when he entered high school and was a guard, developed guard skills and those guard skills have stuck with him. He didn’t lose them despite the growth spurt. His junior year, very early in his season he fell and broke his wrist, he didn’t play the entire year, so he was kind of under the radar. Very thin. Built a lot like Justin Holiday, but a taller version. His weight and strength will come. We’re really excited about his skill set at that size. Very versatile. Has long arms. He’s more like a very skilled forward. He is not a guy you stick in the post and make play with his back to the basket because he is 6-10. He is a skilled forward.”

Washington coach Lorenzo Romar also said they plan on bringing in another big guy this year. He also said the glut of guards should become staggered, hinting that Wroten may not be around for all four years, which would open things for Andrews and others.